macysthanksgivingfandomcom-20200214-history
Woody Woodpecker
Woody Woodpecker is a animal character created by animator Walter Lantz for short films distributed by Universal Pictures. He is one of the most indicative of the "screwball" type of cartoon character that became popular in the 1940s. He continued to appear in theatrical shorts until 1972, longer than most other characters from the Golden Age of animation. Appearance Concepts of a Woody Woodpecker balloon have dated back to the 1960's, when Walter Lantz requested to have a Woody balloon in the parade. However, Goodyear declined due to fears of lack of aerodynamics, and the project was scrapped. However, Kemp Balloons inc showed interest in a Woody balloon in the early 1980's, as Goodyear stopped producing the balloons. With both Lantz and Kemp on the job, and Goodyear giving tips on making balloons, the balloon was successfully completed Woody Woodpecker first appeared in the Macy's Parade in 1982, behind the Frozen Woodland float, and had the honor of preceding Santa. Woody was accompanied by Lantz himself that year. The next year, the balloon was accompanied by Lantz again, this time with Woody's voice actress, Grace Stafford. That same year, it appeared alongside Bullwinkle to celebrate the opening of a Macy's store in Aventura, Florida. The 270,000 square foot store was so large, it could contain the 75 by 45 foot balloon with ease. The Woody Woodpecker balloon quickly became a crowd favourite, and appeared for several more years, with the sponsor changing to Universal Studios in 1986. In the 1985 parade, he was at the back of the year's balloon lineup. The Woody balloon made its final appearance in 1996, and was the oldest balloon appearing that year. The Woody Woodpecker Balloon made a total of 15 flights. The balloon still resides at the Macy's Parade Studio. Before the balloon was created, a walk around appeared in the 1976 parade. Incidents As he was one of the tallest and widest balloons to ever appear in the parade, he was one of the most difficult balloons to fly. As such, he had a number of incidents throughout the timespan in which he was used: * In 1982, Woody was lowered to the ground due to trees ripping his stomach. * In 1983, Woody was lowered to the ground once again, but this time it was because of the rain. This year, the balloon didn't get damaged. * In 1984, Woody got snagged by a tree but was freed and did not get damaged. Woody's arms were also slightly bent. * In 1985, Woody tore a hole in his coxcomb the night before the parade, but the hole was repaired in time. His legs however deflated during the march. and his hand was also ripped * In 1986, a lamp post nearly ripped Woody's head clean off his body, and his head suffered minor damage, but he survived. Woody's arms were slightly bent again. The wind also pushed his feet into tree branches and by the time he got to Herald Square, they were both deflated. * In 1989, Woody's left pupil was scratched, possibly due to the balloon's paint job aging. * In 1993, Woody's hand was ripped by a tree causing to slowly deflating all the balloon so it needed to be lowered to the ground * In 1994 and 1995, Woody's right arm was slightly bent. * In 1996, unexpected "wind demons" caused Woody's left hand to be ripped by a tree. His arms were also bent Retirement and the future Size restrictions implemented in 1998 mean that all balloons appearing in the parade cannot be over 78 feet long, 70 feet tall, or 40 feet wide. As the Woody Woodpecker balloon is 75 feet tall and 45 feet wide, and is also the widest balloon known to ever be made in the parade, his balloon has been barred from making any further reappearances. As Woody has faded into obscurity, no redesign has been introduced since then. However, he appeared at Macy's Holiday parade, alongside several other balloons. Perhaps due to the balloon's large size, only the head was inflated. A more permanent addition to Universal's holiday celebration was the addition of a walk-around version of him and his girlfriend Winnie Woodpecker on The Toon Trolley float and the Pep Cheers float. The walkarounds were retired after the 2015 parade due to the rebranding of Macy's Holiday Parade. Trivia * The Woody balloon's feet were red, which is inconsistent with his animated appearance; his feet are actually yellow. Gallery Gallery: Woody Woodpecker Category:Macy's Balloon Characters Category:Cartoon Characters Category:Universal Category:Animated Shorts Characters Category:Birds Category:1982 Macy's Thanksgiving Day Parade Category:Non-First Balloon in the Parade Category:Retired Balloons Category:Big Balloons Category:Movie Characters Category:1980s Balloons Category:Balloons that were in a accident Category:Last Balloon in the Parade Category:Male Balloons Category:1940s Characters Category:Parade Favorites Category:Size Limits Balloons